Current Affairs Nov 2015 - Places in NEWS

News 1 - Terra Madre – 2015 begins in Shillong

International Indigenous Terra Madre &minus 2015 or slow food festival started in Shillong, Meghalaya. The theme is “The Future We Want: Indigenous Perspectives and Actions”. This five-day festival brings in the cuisine of over 100 indigenous tribes from nearly 60 countries. This event allows guests to visit 41 tribal partner villages in the state, where sharing of indigenous knowledge on food and sustainability will be availed for these guests.

Tera Madre, a network of Indigenous food communities, involves in promotion of Indigenous culture and conservation of bio-diversity.

News 2 - NGT ban led to coal miners of Lakadong to switch to turmeric farming

Lakadong, a village in Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya, was in the news as the coal miners of the village largely switched to turmeric farming in order to sustain their livelihood. The switch came after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) put a ban on coal mining and transportation of coal in Meghalaya's Jaintia Hills region.

News 3 - 21^st INCOFYRA to be organized in Bengaluru in 2016

The 21^st International Conference on Frontiers in Yoga Research and its Applications (INCOFYRA) will be organized by the Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Sansthana from 3 to 7 January 2016 at Prashanti Kutiram, Bengaluru. The 21^st INCOFYRA will bring together the traditional and modern medical systems. The theme of this conference is Yoga in Integrated Healthcare Systems.

News 4 - 12^th ASEM Foreign Ministers' meeting organized in Luxemburg

The 12^th Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers' Meeting (ASEM FMM12) was organized in Luxembourg. The theme of this meeting was Working Together for a Sustainable and Secure Future. This meeting involved a series of priority subjects such as climate change, the Sustainable Development Program for 2030, the management and reduction of disaster risks, connectivity and the future of ASEM. The chairperson of this meeting was Jean Asselborn, the Luxembourg Minister for Foreign Affairs. The next ASEM Summit (ASEM11) is scheduled to be held at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in July 2016.

News 5 - 2015 G20 Summit held in Antalya, Turkey

The 2015 G20 Summit was held in Antalya, Turkey. It was the tenth summit since the inception of G20 in 1999. Turkey had proposed three I’s in this meeting &minus Inclusiveness, Implementation and Investment for growth. The next G20 summit will be held in China for 2016. The 2014 Summit was held at Brisbane in Australia. The G20 Member countries include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the European Union.

News 6 - APEC Economic Leaders issue declaration in Manila

The 23^rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Summit was held in Manila, Philippines. The summit was chaired by Philippines President, Benigno S. Aquino III. The theme of this Summit was Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World: A Vision for an Asia-Pacific Community. Peru will chair this APEC throughout 2016 and host the 24^th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting as well.

News 7 - 10^th East Asia Summit held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The 10^th East Asia Summit (EAS) was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The theme of this summit was Our People, Our Community, Our Vision. It is an annual meeting of national leaders from the East Asian region and adjoining countries. It was the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the East Asia Summit.

This summit was chaired by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak and attended by the Heads of State / Government of ASEAN Member States, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Korea, Russia and the United States of America. The 11^th East Asia Summit will be held in Laos in 2016. Whereas, the 9^th East Asia Summit was held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

News 8 - National Tribal Crafts Mela Aadishilp–2015 inaugurated by Jual Oram in New Delhi

The 11^th National Tribal Crafts Mela Aadishilp, which began in New Delhi was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram. Aadishilp has been organized by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) at Delhi Haat. Unique and exquisite tribal artefacts of more than 90 tribal artisans from all over the country were exhibited in this Exhibition. TRIFED, under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, is the only apex body of Government of India, which is engaged in the development and marketing of traditional tribal products.

News 9 - Mysuru Railway Station is the first blind-friendly Railway Station in India

The Mysuru Railway Station in Karnataka became the first blind-friendly Railway Station in India. Tactile maps of the railway station and train schedules in Braille were unveiled on the occasion of its inauguration. The authorities have also put up 400 metal signage’s in Braille along the railings of the staircases leading to various platforms. Anuprayaas, a Non – Governmental Organization assisted the railways in making Mysuru railway station blind-friendly.

News 10 - Hundred Drums Wangala Festival begins in Meghalaya on a cultural fervor

The Annual Hundred Drums Wangala Festival began at Asanang near Tura town in Meghalaya. The three day-long ceremony started with the arrival of ten Wangala Dance Troupes from various parts of Garo Hills. The Wangala Festival is an annual post-harvest festival of the Garos tribes of the North East India.

News 11 - World Robot Olympiad, 2015 held in Doha

The World Robot Olympiad (WRO), 2015 was held in Doha, Qatar. The theme of this event was Robot Explorers. Students from more than 55 countries participated in this event. For the first time in the history of WRO, Indian students were able to win three medals (1 – Gold & 2 – Silver) and one position (Eighth). This 13^th World Robot Olympiad was held in Delhi. It was organized by the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) with India STEM Foundation (ISF).